Roundtable in Žilina Advances Dialogue on the Future of Rural Areas in Slovakia

On 27 April 2026, a regional roundtable held at the Žilina Self-Governing Region brought together policymakers, researchers and local stakeholders to discuss the future of rural development and public governance in Slovakia.

The roundtable focused on the strategic document “Vision for Attractive Rural Areas: Slovakia 2040”. The discussion directly contributes to ongoing national and European policy processes and reflects the core PoliRuralPlus ambition: to support evidence-based, participatory, and forward-looking rural policy design.

From Vision to Implementation: A PoliRuralPlus Perspective

The discussions echoed key findings from the Slovak Reagional Action Plan, highlighting persistent challenges such as fragmented governance, weak coordination across policy levels, and limited integration between rural and urban development.

Participants emphasised the need to move towards:

integrated, place-based policy approaches,
stronger multi-level governance and partnerships,
and data-driven decision-making supported by foresight tools.

These priorities closely align with PoliRuralPlus methodologies, including the use of foresight, scenario-building, and participatory tools to improve policy coherence and territorial development.

Strengthening Rural-Urban Linkages and Local Ecosystems

A central theme of the roundtable was the importance of viewing rural and urban areas as interconnected systems. Discussions highlighted the need to:

enhance functional linkages between regions,
support local innovation ecosystems,
and create conditions for sustainable economic opportunities in rural areas.

This reflects the PoliRuralPlus approach to rural attractiveness, which goes beyond sectoral policies and focuses on building resilient, inclusive, and well-connected territories.

Empowering Regions Through Participation and Innovation

The roundtable also demonstrated the value of stakeholder engagement and co-creation, with inputs gathered from diverse actors across governance levels. Such participatory processes are a cornerstone of PoliRuralPlus, ensuring that policies reflect real territorial needs and unlock local potential.

Examples discussed during the event, including initiatives supporting employment through local food systems and community-based solutions, illustrate how innovative approaches can be scaled through better policy support.

Feeding into Future Policy Design

The outcomes of the roundtable will contribute to the update of the Vision for Attractive Rural Areas 2040 and inform broader strategic frameworks, including Slovakia’s national development agenda and future EU funding programmes.

For PoliRuralPlus, this process represents a concrete step in translating knowledge into action, strengthening the link between analytical tools, stakeholder dialogue, and policy implementation.